FateLyrical Night
by WolfintheSheep
Summary: A retelling of Fate/Stay Night, starring the cast of Nanoha. ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

**SPOILER WARNINGS: **This story will be following the plot of Fate/Stay Night very closely, and will contain major spoilers for the series. If you don't want to ruin a great anime for yourself, please don't continue.

* * *

_The time has come again…_

_The seven magi assemble…_

_Each commanding a servant of the seven classes…_

_A battle to the death to obtain the Book of Darkness…_

_The War of the Night Sky_

"I am the one who gives you this charge…"

I stood in the middle of the darkened room, illuminated only the pink glow of the magical circle I had drawn around me. Through my outstretched hand I poured magic into the yellow jewel I held.

"…release your power to your contracted master."

I was momentarily blinded by a flash of red as my ponytail drifted in front of my eyes, swaying from the pulses of magical energy. Ignoring it, I continued my incantation.

"As the winds fill the sky, and the stars fill the heavens, so shall my heart fill with courage, and my hands with magic!"

This summoning would be perfect; the result of all my work and training. I would only accept the strongest of servants.

"Come forth to me!"

This was it: a servant of the Saber cla-

BOOM

I was knocked off my feet as an explosion rocked the mansion, and my ears echoed with what sounded like a lightning bolt. Had something gone wrong? I clambered to my feet and dashed to where the sound had come from. Nearly breaking the door down as I entered the room, I froze, absolutely shocked.

A gaping hole was smashed through the roof and the entire room was demolished by the impact of the failed summoning. Atop the piles of debris, a woman sat, clad in black with a long flowing white cape stretched across her shoulders. Her golden hair framed her face as it drifted through the air. She slowly turned her head to me, and piercing red eyes stared into mine as a smirk played across her lips.

"It seems I've been drawn by a peculiar little master."

**Fate/Lyrical Night**


	2. The Day it Began

Disclaimer: I don't own Nanoha or Fate/Stay Night. If I did, Fate would be calling Nanoha "Master".

* * *

_Those cold eyes were watching me as I trembled, trying to push myself up. My eyes were still adjusting, the shadowed crypt barely illuminated by the sickly green glow of the circle drawn around me. Several hooded figures stood at the edges of the circle, staring intently. Just beyond them, I could barely make out twisted shapes scattering the floor – dead and dried bodies. And as always, my dream ended amidst raging flames…_

…_The dream about my birth._

**Fate/Lyrical Night I**

The Day it Began

"…aown-senpai."

I drifted slowly into consciousness from the gentle coaxing of a girls voice.

"Harlaown-senpai!"

I sat up quickly and opened my eyes. Around me were the various odds-and-ends I had been tinkering with last night, and the walls around me were covered with tools. From the looks of it, I'd overworked myself again and had fallen asleep in the shed. A small huff directed my attention to the girl standing in front of me, and I finally looked up at her. Her arms were crossed, and her red and green eyes were glaring down at me. With her cheeks puffed out and the two tiny pigtails on her head, though, it was really hard to take her seriously.

"I knew you'd be here again, senpai. You need to take better care of yourself."

"I'm sorry, Vivio," I said, standing up. I patted her on the head and smiled, to which she gave an exasperated look. "I should go get breakfast ready."

She suddenly smiled brightly, her annoyance forgotten. "Don't worry about that, senpai, I can do it. Go get ready before Arf-san gets here."

I watched in slight amusement as Vivio ran off ahead of me to the house, and then lightly brushed myself off before I followed.

My name is Fate Harlaown. This estate I lived on, which was surprisingly large, had been inherited from my mother, Lindy Harlaown. She didn't have any other close family; she told me once that she'd lost her husband and son ten years ago, around the time that I had been adopted. So, when she'd passed away five years ago, everything had been left to me.

I can't say that it was lonely here, though. Especially since Vivio had started coming by. She was the younger sister of an old friend, and I hadn't really talked to her much before. Smiling fondly, I remembered when I'd found her sniffling on the sidewalk. It didn't get much to find out that some boys were picking on her, and I'd done my best to cheer her up and give some helpful advice. It hadn't really been anything special, but I must have made an impression on her, because after that she'd always done her best to take care of me…well, after I'd taught her a few basic things. She was a pretty gifted girl, though, considering she'd just entered middle school.

"Fate-chaaaan! Hurry up Fate-chan!"

And I couldn't forget Arf, I thought, my smile growing wider as I walked to the dining area. She was a teacher at my school, a close friend of my mother's, and my self-appointed surrogate mother. She'd taken it upon herself to check in on me constantly, worried about me living all by myself. I never could understand why she like being called 'Arf', though, but after all these years it just became normal. I couldn't even remember her real name anymore.

Sliding the door open, I was greeted by Arf who was impatiently bouncing on the floor, breakfast already lying out on the table. Okay, maybe I lied a little. She did seem like a dog in more ways than one, and if she had a tail I'm sure it would have been wagging frantically.

"Come oooon, Fate-chan! I'm hungry!"

* * *

"So, how does it look?"

I was kneeling on the floor, carefully inspecting the heater in front of me. Behind me, looking over my shoulder was my friend Yuuno Scryaa. He was the president of the school's library club, and had asked me to check out the club's heater which had stopped working a week ago.

"I think I can fix it," I answered, "But it might take some delicate work…"

"Don't worry, I'll leave the room. Just call if you need some help."

"Thanks," I said, watching as he left. I probably wouldn't have had troubles working if he'd stayed, but it was probably best that he didn't see what I was about to do. Sighing slightly, I turned back to the heater. It seemed like some of the wiring had shorted out, and I didn't want to spend too much time trying to find it. Placing my hand on the machine, I concentrated on my fingertips, pouring some of my magic through them. A spark leapt into the heater, and I traced its movements with my mind until I'd found the problem. Smiling happily, I pulled out some tools and got to work.

It only took a few minutes, and I soon found myself walking down the hallways, chatting with Yuuno as we headed to homeroom.

"Thanks, Fate, I owe you," he said in appreciation.

"Mm, no, that's okay," I answered. I opened my mouth to speak again, but was stopped short as I noticed a girl walking towards us.

The first thing that caught my eyes was obviously her outfit. The short, white skirt and matching shirt were definitely not part of the dress code. She had an intensely cute face, and her red hair tied in a lopsided ponytail only made her stand out more. Her blue eyes, however, held a silent determination, and they didn't even flicker towards me or Yuuno as she brushed between us. I probably ended up staring a bit too long, because Yuuno startled me with a slight cough.

"I hope you're not getting interested in Takamichi-san, too," he murmured.

"Why?" I asked, curious.

"Most of the guys in this school are crazy about her. There isn't a boy in our grade that wouldn't want to date Takamichi Nanoha!"

Yuuno had a glint in his eye, the one that he always seemed to get when he'd uncovered some important info. "That doesn't sound so-"

"But rumour is that she's got a huge killer streak! The nickname that gets whispered around behind her back is 'White Devil'!"

If I could read Yuuno's mind right now, I would probably see an image of Takamichi-san standing in front of a flaming backdrop, leveling everything in her path…

* * *

"Archer, do you feel it?" Nanoha murmured as she looked out over the school grounds from the rooftop.

"Yes, for a while now," the servant replied, hidden from sight, "but it doesn't seem like he's eager to attack."

"We should…wait for the school to clear out before we make any moves."

* * *

"Hey, hold up Fate!" yelled a familiar voice. I looked over my shoulder, and saw an unmistakable blond that belonged to an old friend. Arisa Bannings, Vivio's older sister, was walking towards me with her usual confident strut, and I noticed a group of boys standing and waiting behind her.

"What's wrong?" I asked as she came closer.

"You look like you've got time on your hands. Think you can help me out? The dojo needs cleaning out, but I _really_ can't stick around any longer."

I hesitated slightly; it was pretty late. I could never say no to a request, though.

"I can do it."

"Great," she said, and walked off back to her entourage.

* * *

"Can you tell which servant it is?" Nanoha asked as she sat in waiting, still on the rooftop.

"No."

"Could it be the one that's been stealing linker cores all over town?" she pressed, slight doubt in her voice now.

"That shouldn't be your concern. Our only goal should be to defeat the other masters."

"I know that, but still-"

"He's here."

Nanoha leapt to her feet, staring upwards to the figure standing atop the roof fencing, framed by the moon. He looked young, younger than her. His hair was short, messy bush of red, and he was draped in a large white coat, almost concealing his red body armour. Held loosely in his hands was an unmistakable spear.

"Lancer," Nanoha observed.

"If you are aware of that, that makes you my enemy," the enemy servant stated. In a swift movement he spun his weapon in his hands, preparing to leap at the girl.

"Archer!" Nanoha yelled, taking a running dash towards the opening at the stairwell, "The landing's yours. Onegai!"

She recklessly leapt over the side railing into a three story freefall. Before she had even begun her descent, though, a blond woman appeared beside her, holding tightly to the girl. The pair dropped to the ground, and Archer readied her legs for the landing. Softly and deftly Archer supported the two as she hit earth, and then lightly dropped Nanoha to the ground as they broke into a run again.

"He's a close combat type; we'll need to find a battlefield more to your advantage," Nanoha said as she continued to move, but was suddenly jerked backwards as Archer grabbed her shoulders. Only a few feet in front of them, the Lancer servant appeared, catching up to them like it was nothing.

"An Archer servant was it?" the boy asked, eyeing the woman before him, "Well…now that we've crossed paths, we've no choice but to battle."

"I'm prepared to fight," Archer said to her master, "Tell me what to do, Nanoha."

The girl hesitated for a moment, unsure. When she looked at the unwavering form of her servant, though, she nodded.

"Right. Do your best, Archer."

"Of course."

Lancer didn't pause for a second as he lunged forwards. Archer calmly held out her arm, a black poleax appearing in her hand…

* * *

"What was that?" I called in surprise. I was just finishing my second pass of the floor when I'd heard a loud crash from outside. Dropping my washcloth, I ran out of the dojo and searched for the commotion. Hearing another crash, I turned towards the track field...and my jaw dropped.

Two figures were leaping around each other, swinging deadly looking weapons at each other at full strength. As blades struck each other again the dust around the figures exploding outward at the impact, and the blast of air hit me with shocking force. Involuntarily, I let out a gasp.

"Who's there?!" one of the figures yelled, the short red-haired one. Panicking, I turned and ran into the school.

I had run for a minute straight without thinking, turning every corner I came across, sheer terror running through me. What the hell was that?! Those two were fighting, actually fighting! It wasn't an act; they were trying to kill each other!

It was at least another minute before I started to slow, and I finally came to a stop, falling against the corridor wall to catch my breath. I shouldn't have panicked so much; there was probably a perfectly reasonable expl-

"Sonic move!"

Those words barely registered in my head as an agonizing pain ripped through my chest, a spear driven clean into my heart. I only caught a glimpse of the red hair of my assailant before I collapsed to the floor, my senses quickly fading.

"Sorry, but witnesses can't be allowed to live," the boy murmured as he vanished.

"_Not like this…I can't die…like this..."_ were my last thoughts before the world closed in around me…

* * *

Nanoha halted when she saw the body on the ground. Her body trembled slightly, the shock of the sight slowly setting in. She knew it would be like this, she knew there would be casualties. Still, she could have done something. If she'd acted faster, if she'd been a little stronger…

"Archer," her voice was level, but struggled to hold her emotions at bay, "Follow Lancer. He'll return to his master…we need to know who it is."

Archer wordlessly complied, swiftly disappearing.

"I could at least…stay with you as you die…right?" the girl asked, more to herself than anything. She slowly walked forwards and crouched down, but quickly fell back as she saw the face of the victim.

"No…it…it's you. It's you. Why you?" she repeated, her eyes starting to tear. She raised her hand to her mouth, a small sob escaping her lips, "…why did it have to be you?"

As emotions began to overwhelm her, she realized what she had to do. Taking a yellow gem from her pocket, she brought herself to her feet, holding her hand out above the fallen girl.

"…I'm sorry. Just let me be irresponsible. Just this once…"

* * *

I gasped in pain as I jerked up. My hand shot to my chest instinctively, but I felt nothing wrong. Pulling it away, though, it was dripping with blood. Wait, I'd been stabbed through the heart. I checked again, still dazed. That's right, I was stabbed. I was dead…but someone came…and saved me?

* * *

"That was foolish. You used a precious gem for something like this?"

"It was just…something I had to do…ne?" Nanoha said softly, her face looking crestfallen.

Archer watched her for a moment, but continued. "I didn't mean what you did, but why you did it. Outsider can't be allowed to see us, the rules are clear. Any that do…must be killed."

Nanoha didn't respond, and kept staring at the floor.

"Lancer knew this. He chose to kill the witness instead of continuing the fight. And when he realizes he failed…"

This got Nanoha's attention as her head whipped up, panic in her eyes. "He won't let her live!"

* * *

I was curled silently against a wall, having someone made it home. My thoughts were anything but clear; I just couldn't comprehend what had transpired tonight. As I drowned in confusion, I suddenly felt it. I couldn't explain it, but I knew what the feeling meant. It was him. He'd followed me. He was still trying to kill me. I wasn't going to let that happen.

Rising to my feet, I focused my mind, channeling the magic I had learned to wield. The skin on my arm started to tingle as I felt the current flowing. I couldn't beat him, I knew how strong and how skilled he was. I could buy myself time though. Just as I had thought that, he appeared beside me. I was startled, leaping back and raising my hands in defense as he spun his spear and pointed it at me.

"I have to kill you," he said simply.

This was my only chance. My hand close enough to his weapon, I let my magic loose. The electricity shot through the spear into his arms, and he jumped, more surprised then hurt. I had already moved, though, and I burst through the outside door, sprinting as hard as I could.

I was only halfway across the courtyard when he appeared in front of me. I skidded to a halt, the sense of impending death finally setting into my head.

"I see…that's why you're still alive," he murmured, and swung his weapon at me. The shaft of the spear smashed into my side, the strength of the blow sending me flying. My world blurred around me, only stopping when I crashed into something large and heavy, and I found myself breaking through the storage shed door.

The boy was approaching slowly. There was nothing I could do – my body felt far too heavy to move, it took all my effort just to raise to my knees.

"You were probably the seventh," the red-haired boy said to me as he closed the final distance and pointed his spear towards me.

"Seventh, what do you mean?" I sputtered out, trying to stall. I was just given a second chance, I couldn't die again. Unnoticed to both of us, lines began to form on my left hand.

"It doesn't matter now," he answered, and I finally recognized remorse in his voice. It did little to ease me, though, as he poised as he prepared to strike.

Not like this. What good was my life, ending like this? How could I redeem myself like this? The lines on my hand started to glow, and, unseen, a circle began to trace behind me in a faint pink shimmer.

"Now die," the boy said, plunging his spear towards me. I flinched and fell backwards, shutting my eyes tight as I awaited the inevitable. The pain I expected never came though, as the sound of metal on metal resonated. Opening my eyes, I watched as the lancer leapt away, driven back by another figure standing before me. Turning to me, I caught sight of the woman who had just saved my life.

"I am Saber. I am here in response to your summons," she said, her voice low and steady. The moonlight cast through the window reflected off of her silver armour, surrounding her in an ethereal glow. Her long pink hair swayed behind her, and her intense and determined eyes were unblinkingly locked onto mine.

"I ask of you, are you my master?"

I couldn't speak, my mouth open as I sat frozen on the ground. Maybe it was the confusion around me…no, that wasn't it. I was silent in awe from the overwhelming beauty of the girl standing before me…

* * *

A/N: FSN and I had serious creative differences while writing this. I wanted to make this my own story, and FSN just kept popping in to make me copy it. I think we've finally come to an agreement, after the fact. FSN keeps its plot and events; I get the characters and the background story. I'll definitely have to push my part harder in the next few chapters; sometimes even I forget these are Nanoha characters in the scenes…


	3. The Curtain Rises

Disclaimer: I don't own Nanoha or Fate/Stay Night. If I did, Kotomine would spend his time building a harem. He certainly has the time for it.

* * *

**Fate/Lyrical Night II**

The Curtain Rises

I felt Lancer's presence fade quickly; it had only be a single unsuccessful attack, and the boy had immediately withdrawn. It seemed as though he hadn't expected a full confrontation, or perhaps his master was far too cautious. Whatever the reason, he had left, and I knew he was too fast to pursue. Besides that, I had more pressing matters to attend. Turning, I stood and faced the young girl who sat unmoving on the floor. Her long blonde hair and sharp red eyes seemed vaguely familiar, but from where I could not recall. Regardless, the command seals upon her hand confirmed that she had summoned me.

"I am Saber. I am here in answer to your summons," I said. No doubt the girl was aware of this, but I was used to keeping up with formalities. "I ask of you, are you my Master?"

Her reaction wasn't what I had expected; perhaps my experience had made me too accustomed to those with more initiative. Still, her wordless staring was slightly unnerving.

"W-what?" the girl stammered out.

Ah, a response. That was a start.

"It was your summons that called me, correct? The command seals on your hand are proof of that," I stated, feeling slightly uncertain now. Her surprised expression upon seeing the stigmata confirmed my suspicions.

"I apologize, Master," I said, and bent down to kneel to the girl. Her lack of knowledge would definitely be a hindrance to my odds of victory; nonetheless she summoned me, and was thusly my Master. By my honour as a knight, my loyalty was to her. "I am a servant of the Saber class. It would be best to call me Saber."

"I'm…uh…F-fate. Fate Harlaown," she replied.

"Harlaown," I repeated. She was still obviously confused, and it was clear it would take a great deal more time before she would understand the magnitude of her situation. That time would not be now, though, as I felt a more immediate problem.

"Another Servant approaches," I told her, and leapt through the open doorway.

* * *

I wasn't confused, not at all. I was doing perfectly fine. It was the world that decided to turn upside down and destroy everything that made sense. Okay, calm down, just work this through. This all had some relation to magic, that was obvious. Then these markings on my hand – Command Seals – apparently that made me a…Master? And Servant…that must be what she and that boy were.

As I came to that conclusion, I immediately scrambled to my feet. She – Saber, she said to call her Saber – had said another Servant was here. That would mean she was going to fight again. I had to stop her.

I stumbled out of the storage shed just in time to see the clash of weapons from the far side of the courtyard. Saber's pink ponytail and silver armour told me what I had expected, but her opponent…I recognized her from the school, the one that had been fighting that kid. Now that I had a closer look she appeared to be a young women clad in black, her hair looking the same shade as mine.

"Archer, retreat!"

I barely caught a glimpse of blood fly from Saber's sword before the blonde haired servant vanished from sight. The cry drew my attention to a girl that I'd overlooked. I saw a faint red glow flash from her hand, and quickly noticed that she had markings that were similar to mine, although she had far fewer. About to call out to her, I realized that Saber hadn't lowered her weapon – in fact, it looked like she was going to attack the girl.

"Saber, stop! STOP!" I yelled out. Saber seemed to hesitate, but complied anyway, sheathing her sword. At least she would listen to me, something I was grateful for. I hurried to Saber's side, and was surprised as I recognized the other girl.

"Takamichi…-san?"

"Nyaha…" she laughed nervously, scratching her cheek lightly, "And you're Fate Harlaown? I didn't think you were a Master too…"

She clearly understood this whole thing better than I did. She was in my year, too, so I felt fairly safe in trusting her.

"Um…I still don't really know what that means," I said.

She tilted her head slightly to one side, giving me a dumbfounded look.

"I mean, I don't really understand what's happening, and then there's all this fighting, and I was attacked – I thought I was killed – and then Saber showed up, and said I was her Master, and that she was a servant, and I have these marks on my hand, and…and…"

Takamichi just kept looking at me as everything just spilled out, a slight amount of pity on her face. When my rambling started to die she reached out and grabbed my hand, trying to pull me away. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Saber stiffen and grip her sword, and I looked over as she shot me a look of warning.

"W-wait, where are we going Takamichi-san?" I asked. She gave me a smile before explaining.

"My mentor, and the adjudicator of this war. He can explain things better than me."

I cast another glance at Saber who returned a disapproving glare. She said nothing, though, so I decided to follow.

"Come on, let's go Fate-chan!"

Fate-chan?

* * *

Harlaown was a liability, unfortunately. Choosing to spare another Master, and then trusting her so easily, it was foolish. Hopefully once she had been properly informed she would cease such rash decision. It was fortunate that I'd been able to subdue the other servant so quickly; although, I had found it odd how she had hesitated upon seeing me…

I was standing outside a small church covered in a heavy hooded overcoat, having chosen to wait outside while Harlaown and the other master had entered. True, I'd been initially skeptical at the other girl's intentions, but this church was neutral ground during the war. My Master would be safe as long as she stayed within it, I would not need to protect her.

With no duties to fulfill, my mind took its time to wander, recalling the last time I'd seen this city…

* * *

I walked slowly as I left the church, Takamichi slightly ahead of me. Behind me, I felt the priest, Scaglietti, watching me intently. He'd definitely done a careful job explaining the details of this ordeal, and though I had answers my head was no less certain than it was before.

I sighed lightly as I thought to myself. The War of the Night Sky, a battle to death between seven Masters and seven Servants all to obtain something called the "Book of Darkness". The book itself sounded entirely impossible: an artifact with enough power to grant any desire? And then these three Command Seals on my hand, which supposedly formed a contract that tied Saber to me and marked me as a Master in this war. To be able to force any command on a servant - it sounded twisted.

Still, it was his final words that shocked me the most. It wasn't right for me to even be thinking of fighting, let alone killing. I wanted no part of this, and had said as much. He'd laughed at me, and said _"Your tenth birthday is soon, isn't it? Are you going to celebrate it the same as your birth, then?"_

I glanced at Takamichi's back as she opened the church doors. I'd seen her surprised and curious expression but she hadn't asked anything, for which I was thankful. What did this Scaglietti know? The fire that had wiped out almost half the city ten years ago, and my…birth…less than a week before…

Saber's serious expression greeted me as I stepped outside. She seemed slightly expectant, but of what I wasn't sure. The sun had already set, and the chill night wasn't helping my mood any. Wordlessly the three of us started walking together, Saber and I back home, and I assumed Takamichi to hers.

"So who taught you to use magic?" Takamichi asked suddenly, breaking me from my reverie.

"Taught? I really don't know much magic at all…but my mother, she was a magus."

Takamichi gave me shocked expression that was becoming fairly standard in our conversations. "So you're a novice at magic too?"

"Um…yes…?"

She looked almost ready to scold me, but a motion from Saber silenced the both of us as she looked on ahead.

"Someone's here."

The street was barely lit, save for a few scattered street lamps, and I could see nothing ahead of us. Saber stepped in front of me, holding the hilt of her sword, and we watched tensely.

As a figure stepped into the light, I let out an audible sigh of relief. She was a little girl, younger than Vivio, but with a smile that was just as sweet and innocent. Her hair was short and bright pink, and she was wearing heavy white and pink winter clothes. Overall, not a very threatening sight.

"You scared me Saber, I thought -"

I was immediately frozen stiff at the sight of the massive black claw that had sunk down beside the girl. My mind thought briefly about screaming at the girl to run, but she only continued to smile sweetly at us, even as a massive black dragon dragged itself into sight. Standing only on its hind legs, it was easily four meters tall and towered over everything around it.

"Hello, you must be Saber," the girl said suddenly, giving a short curtsy. She gave me and Takamichi a quizzical look, tapping a finger to her chin as she thought. "Is one of you her Master?"

I was about to respond when Saber cut me off. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," the girl said, her smile breaking wider. She still looked the picture of innocence, which only brought a deeper chill within me. "I'm Caro Lu Rushe, and this is Berserker."

The dragon growled deeply, starting to lumber towards us.

"Really, Berserker?" the girl asked, like she understood the beast, "Well, okay, but don't play too rough."

Saber didn't wait. Casting off her coat and drawing her sword in a smooth motion she charged, quickly closing the distance. Sword held low, she swung it upwards to the dragon's stomach. It was faster than it looked, though, and in a flash had blocked the blade with its forearm, driving Saber back a meter through the sheer force of its swing. Its other claw slashed heavily downwards, and Saber barely blocked it in time.

I could only watch helplessly, watching as the dragon relentlessly attacked, Saber barely able to keep her guard up. Her arms were bleeding even though she had never been hit; the strength of Berserker was too great.

"Saber…no!" I yelled to her. She wouldn't hold up if this kept going; without a doubt she'd be killed. She showed no sign that she'd heard me though, and continued to press on.

She was getting hurt, trying to protect me. She was going to die to protect me. I couldn't let that happen, not for my sake. I wasn't worth that pain.

"Fate-chan!" I heard Takamichi yell as I ran forward.

At the very least, if I died, Saber could find a better Master.

* * *

"So you're awake, ne?" a voice asked quietly beside me. Painfully I opened my eyes and saw Takamichi sitting beside me, looking worried. Glancing around a little, I recognized the surroundings as my room. How did I get here?

"You had us worried."

I tried to sit up, but my entire body felt like it was on fire as the searing pain shot through me. Glancing down I noticed that my whole upper body was wrapped in bandages, from my chest to my stomach. I felt the heat rushing to my face as I realized that it meant someone had undressed me.

"Don't move," Takamichi said reproachfully, "you're hurt pretty bad. Although…you are healing rather quickly, considering. There must be a lot of latent magic running through you."

"Thank you," I managed to murmur.

"Just don't do something that stupid ever again."

The door to my room slid open, and I looked up to see Saber watching me. Takamichi made a small gesture and rose to her feet, leaving the room as Saber stepped over to take her place. She looked angry.

"Why did you do that?"

Her tone made it clear I couldn't brush this off.

"I just…don't want to see anyone get hurt in front of me. I couldn't watch you get hurt…" I mumbled, my body aching slightly as I rambled, slowly making my way closer to the truth. "…I'm not worth getting hurt for."

Saber watched me intently, never breaking from her serious look. She didn't look like she was going to kill me herself, though, which was a good sign.

"You are my Master," she said slowly, like she was trying to get those words to sink in, "It is my duty to defend you. As long as I am your Servant, I will protect you."

"Let me be your sword."

* * *

A/N: I got writer's block. Do you know how awkward it is to get writer's block when the story is already handed to you on a silver platter? Signum posed an interesting problem, though. I mean, I had just declared that I would make the characters stand out more. What is Signum's personality though? She's an overly serious, honour bound knight. Crap.

Oh, and before I forget, thank you for the reviews! You have no idea how uplifting it is to know that people are actually interested in this. Hopefully I won't disappoint.


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